Hi there..Its been a while...

Happy Festivities to anyone out there who still pops on here from time to time.
 At a retreat recently some of us ladies dusted off our scrapbooking stash and set to. Here is round one....still in Japan. I will finish recording it eventually but it was such a fantastic array of experiences that I don't want the memories to stop so, from time to time, I scrap another few pictures and my mind goes back to earlier this year when we were there for real. It seems much longer ago than this year though. 
So here are first few creations:
Difficult to see properly but the photo is of Old Kyoto. Meandering round the back streets where little canals ran and tiny wooden houses, often the living quarters for the Geishas, could be seen. Windows were lit up and in one or two places we could just make out  a geisha serving tea to her clients.
The girls in tradition kimono seen around Kyoto are not usually Geishas as they are rarely seen in daylight and at night quickly scurry to their client. 

This next one is of modern Kyoto and one of the big department stores just over the bridge that divides the old and the new. Again the lighting doesn't do this justice as the gold is so shiny both on the photo and the papers as well as the stamping.

I've scrapped the Fushimi temple before but a different view. This is the start to the temple and its thousands of gates. just another amazing experience.

In the art gallery that overlooks the Mount fuji we came across this painting. Anyone who knows me, knows I love the beauty and elegance of ladies faces and this painting was stunning:

Lastly a photo of a scene taken by hubby in which the colours and the reflections of the buildings are simply astounding. Love it.

It is, of course, straight. I just didn't take a straight photo of the layout.

See you next time. Thanks for looking.

crop day

Had a lovely crop day yesterday and produced a layout inspired by one of my wannabes of the moment Terhi: Very different for me and totally enjoyed doing it.

Can see more of these happening-it would be  a shame to waste the thread!!

Another two...

..from last weekend's crop. Both inspired by Lesley G. Love this range of papers and embellishments but wasn't sure what I'd do with them and needed some inspiration. 
I'm still on Steven's degree weekend but need to go back and finish my Japan album. the forthcoming retreat should provide that opportunity.

I love how the flash of colour in the first one matches their lips.

yay, another post

proving I am alive and kicking. Two of the layouts I produced at the weekend at Haslington. Both inspired by others. My mojo isn't that good ATM.

This first one was inspired by Ali P

Both taken during Steven's degree ceremony weekend.

its been a while

Before I forget how to use blogger and PSE, I thought I'd better post something before people think I've disappeared. Last weekend was our monthly get together and for a change we did something arty rather than scrap. Having watched Leandra at work we had a go at producing similar backgrounds using Paperartsy paints and stamps. Nowhere near as good of course but heh, it was our first time.
This was my first attempt:

Now for the second go:

Hmmmm not at all sure I like those colours. So not me.

Try again:

Yeh, thats more my comfort zone.

So then we had a go at Emma Godfrey's technique. She was demoing next to Leandra and I didn't get to watch her but whilst I was watching Leandra my partner in craft was watching Emma.

Love the colours but not so sure about the size of the flowers.

As a wise woman once said "it's only a piece of card. it doesn't matter if it goes wrong".

the other Angel

there were two layouts for the Angel class and this is my version of the other one:

I should have called it Proud Mum with her Boys. I'll use that title for another one.

Then

I did these two also from ATDML's cyber crop. Turquoise and lime are two of my fave colours so I was bound to pick this one:

Finding girly pics is never easy and finding a pic to go with the quote was even harder but heh, it'll have to do:

Bit of fussy cutting going on with that one. Yay-we love fussy cutting-not.

Central Line

ATDFML recently held a cyber crop. I particularly liked the class using Glitz papers-well I would wouldn't I? I am a Glitz fan after all. Having recently acquired some new photos I had a go and produced these.

self explanatory I think.

Last One

Well probably the last one. Ive used a sketch to do this one:

wet and miserable outside

So what is a scrapper to do?  Scrap! 
Another of Michael on his 23rd birthday and I daresay there will be more but it makes a change from Japan. I've used this sketch from Challenge 127 at CSI:

I've missed all the latest challenges but was finding it a bit of a pressure doing something every week and having to fit in with the restrictions which, I suppose, is the point of a challenge. However, you either have the photos to fit with the theme or you don't and I all to often didn't. So, here he is:

Right, on with the next one. Still Michael, still on his birthday :-) 

While ....

...my scrappy pals did the next two layouts I did these-or at least I started them anyway. I used Travel Girl papers from October Afternoon. Rather apt, I thought, seeing as Sarah is a travel girl at the moment. (Can't remember whose layout inspired this one but if it's yours let me know).

Then I did this one of Michael at 23. I like to record each birthday. One day we will look back through the albums to see how they have (or haven't) changed!! Might wait for the future wife so I can embarrass them suitably :-))

I used the same range of papers as the one above. It's a family tradition that we go to PX on our birthdays but this year there were only the two of us to indulge. Bonding time!!

Where was I going

when I did this? Another layout that just started and ended without any plan. Not sure about it but heh! It'll do. I seems to be saying less of that these days but it still applies sometimes!!!
Photo is of my gorgeous girl (niece) Sarah in the tube in Tokyo. I love the way hubby has captured her amongst all the other passengers.

saturday get together

On Saturday at Hazel Grove I set the class this time and with the permission of Ness at Papermaze we  lifted this from the blog:

I loved it as soon as I saw it on the blog and knew I would have to do it. I had to adapt it because a) I always do and b) not all the products were still available. It tells the story of our first day in Tokyo and meeting up with a cousin, and his beautiful daughter, who I had not seen for years as he moved out there about 40 years ago.
Because I hate wasting the leftovers I set this using all the remnants:

We could not get over the snow when we got there. Although we didn't expect bright sunshine we hoped it would at least be dry.

So whilst they were doing those I did this:

Agemaki is the courtesan heroine of a play shown at a Kabuki theatre in Tokyo. In the Edo Museum there is a replica of the theatre and the stage. I had to finish this layout  at home to go with this one:

I loved the display of wigs that were used as well as the costumes, the designs of which all tell a tale understood by the audience at that time.

There were more layouts done- watch this space.

Didn't we have a lovely day today?

I had a great day today. Some friends came round for a Cheeky Extra crafting day. Not sure we got loads done but we did have a lovely day chatting and shuffling paper. I managed to get this done for the challenge over on Punky Scrap Rebels where the theme is purple and green. theres plenty of that on this layout and I even managed to use an old but much loved range of paper Rouge Garance.

scraps

I started a layout at our get together on saturday and decided to finish it when I got home. I wasn't sure where I was going with it and didn't have a plan-nothing new there then. I ended up stamping for stamping sake and ended up with this:

I quite like it really and it fits in well with the Scrap 365 sketch

challenge here.

2 more

2 more layouts done recently. We are still in Japan for these. One of them is me with my lovely Sarah and a rare one of my on my own looking at a menu wondering what to eat. I was worried before we went about the food but it was fine. In fact so much that I worried about before we went was fine. lol.

Ive use Glitz designs for both layouts. I love the feeling of using my stash. 

Toilet humour 1.

When Steven asked me what I remember most about Japan, I enthused about the toilets there. They have what they call Japanese style toilets and Western style toilets. Fortunately there is an abundance of Western style everywhere from the smart hotels to in the trains. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very particular about the toilets I will and won't use and I have to admit that although I went in to look (curiosity getting the better of me), I am definitely a Western style gal. I was very amused to see a poster on the wall of the Japanese style loo giving instructions on how to use it. Even so, I wasn't tempted and exited quickly (not before snapping the following photos) in search for something a little more my style.

At the weekend crop we went to back in march we were given a kit to use as a challenge. I wanted to keep this layout fairly paper free so just used a bit down the sides of the layout pointing downwards for obvious reasons and some to form the tag in the envelope on which I've written the journalling. Although you cant really tell, there are droplets of stickles representing…well I'm sure you know what they represent.

Green tea

Sounds perhaps not your average flavour for an ice cream especially when teamed with cinnamon biscuits and bean paste. However it is standard flavouring for all sorts of things in Japan such as green tea Kit Kat biscuits. Can you imagine? Mind you they also have strawberry flavour kit kats too. Clive succumbed in Kyoto and it was lovely (once we got the words 'bean paste' out of our minds). As this fall in the remit of Jemma's may challenge I have entered it.

NSBD

It was National Scrapbooking Day on Saturday. Hubby laughed when I  told him that. He didn't take it seriously at all. I tried to explain that it was similar to The Draw for football fans but he didn't quite agree. Never mind, I still managed to do a few layouts prompted by Wear Crafts who did take it seriously by giving us various prompts on their blog and Facebook page. This one is of Sarah on the tube in Tokyo and was inspired by Lesley G of Ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem . Clive took quite a few of her so this is one of many.Ive used Glitz designs Wild and Free papers and used a Stampin Up chevron punch.

This next one using the same range of papers from Glitz Designs is also of Sarah taken when we came across a hat shop one evening. We'd never seen so many casual hats in one shop. It was done for SJCrafts bingo challenge:

I was spurred on by Jemma who is on the DT so I couldn't really say no could I?

masterboard

Completely inspired by Jofy's master board over on the Paperartsy blog las month, having the same  stamps  and it being in my favourite colours, I had no choice but to replicate it. I say replicate but in fact mine is nowhere near as pretty or as full as hers. I was a bit afraid of it looking too busy so was a little reserved but when I compare the two I think mine is too empty. However it is my first attempt and there will be more masterboards (or is it a marsterboard -that is the debate had with Jemma yesterday) to come. So watch this space.

Yesterday

Cue for a song? not really, yesterday was our crafty get-together. I love it. I didn't do very much but it was great anyway. I did do this layout for the Kaiser weekly challenge. Not one I've done before but just fancied having a go. It's based on this sketch:

 I decided to miss the hexagons as I'd already done on like that so went for punching the circles out of one of the new Kaiser ranges.

It tells the tale of our first meal and our last meal in Japan.

Did the next lot a while ago but forgot  to upload them.
This one speaks for itself.

You can't imagine the enormity of Mount Fuji until you actually see it. It is immense and very overwhelming.

and lastly, a view of Tokyo taken from one of the two towers of the Governmental building:

Washi tape

Got to admit, I love wash tape but hardly ever use it. In Japan you can find it in abundance, every colour, every width and every price. Far too much choice for someone who, when faced with choice, runs away from making a decision. I did get us some but couldn't make too make decisions so limited myself to taking photographs of it instead.

I used the Scrap365 sketch for this layout.

amazingly

I can still find my way around my blog. Amazing because it's been so long since I had anything to blog but last month Michele and I went on a retreat. Mojo was not with us but thankfully lots of nice people were and so we did our best to produce.
First up is a layout I did having challenged Jemma who was sharing our table, to move out of her comfort zone and take inspiration from what I was doing and I would do something graphic from looking at the layout she was doing. 
So here we are:

The story is that we went to the Todai-Ji temple in Nara and had the opportunity of writing on a roof tile to be used when the present tiles need replacing. It was probably a tourist thing to do but to me it felt quite spiritual (despite my middle name being Cynical). 

In Japan there are, as one would expect lots of shops specialising in fans and, in fact, one of the first shops we came across was indeed a fan shop.

Not the most beautiful of the ones we saw but just the first one.

Everything they do in Japan is done beautifully or maybe that should read 'prettily'. we came across quite a few shops in Kyoto selling jars of sweets like these ones:

This latter layout was inspired, I think, by a challenge but can't quite remember where I saw it now. It'll cop me to me. Credits to you if its yours. Let me know.

There were more layouts done on the day but they are not quite finished so I may return sooner than I have this time. TFL.

several weeks later

…and I have actually done something crafty. Inspired by Finnabair's wonderful canvases I took the opportunity to create one at our monthly crop. It took two sessions to complete but I love it. The colours are from Luminarte silk paints available from The Artist Trading Post. Unfortunately the photo does not do it justice as you can't see the true colour and the sparkle. Believe me the sparkle is beautiful. I love it so much I have just ordered more to do another one of Michael.